Update and Aunt Dinky's birthday

Several weeks ago Jordan, my mom, Bo bo and I went to my Aunt Dinky's house for her birthday. I confess we don't spend as much time with Mom's family as we should, but I'm sure you all know how that goes. My aunt is 16 years older than my mom and is literally old enough to be my grandmother, especially since her oldest grandchild is a year older than I am. My uncle has 2 work horses in the barn a little walk from their house. Although Jordan has seen drawings and pictures of horses, this was her first experience with the real thing. Of course, since they are work horses, they are very large, which scared Jordan.

When we were finished with the horses and heading back to the car, Jordan finally decided she liked her Great Aunt Dinky and wanted to hold her hand. Of course, this was after she threw herself on the ground because she wanted to walk across a little foot bridge rather than me carrying her across it, so she was finished with me.

This is as close as the horses came, and Jordan still got scared. Since they are about 10 times her size, I can see how that would be scary.

Now for the update on the health issues. Yesterday morning I was running errands and Dave was putting Jordan in the bathtub. Since she isn't cooperative with the warm compresses, she has been getting 2-3 baths per day to draw out the infection, so I think she likes that part of things. When Dave undressed her he saw that the thing had started draining on it own, so we don't need to have it opened with a scalpel. We debated on having it cultured and decided we should, so we went to an urgent care location and were happily surprised to be in and out of there in about 30 minutes. We should have the results back on Tuesday, though they may be inconclusive due to the use of the antibiotic. The red place on her leg is a lot smaller than it was on Thursday when we went to see the pediatrician, and it doesn't seem to be bothering her nearly as much now. She is definitely none too happy when we go anywhere close to touching it though- not that I blame her.

Kim and Jenny hosted my first Kelly's Kids party last night, and it was a success. I'm going to have 2 more parties while I have the clothes, so hopefully I'll make a little moo-la and get some free clothes for Jordan through the party my mom is hosting. The clothes in the kit are so adorable! It is hard to choose which ones I like most! Thanks Kim and Jenny for hosting!

My horoscope

I didn't read my horoscope this week (and rarely do), but based on my experiences this week, I'm going to draft my own:

DO NOT GET OUT OF BED THIS WEEK! Your finances are looking dim. Just when you think there is a possibility you may get ahead, your hot water heater will go out forcing you to spend almost $1,000 you were not planning on spending. Don't even try to get the tax incentive for a tankless water heater because that will require you to live without water for at least 1 week and will be a complete waste of time.

Your child will have health issues. After getting her hand shut in a door at daycare last week, this week she will try to climb onto a daycare table resulting in a large, purple knot on her forehead. Then, the thing that looks like a small bug bite on Tuesday will turn into a giant red place that will come to a head and eventually drain on its own or be forcibly opened up with a scalpel. Yes, it may be MRSA, but you may never know. You'll get to spend the next week or more watching to see if the red area expands an inch beyond the line that was drawn on her leg Thursday morning and to see if it starts draining on its own. If not, then you will cry while Jordan's leg is opened by a scalpel so it can drain.
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On a separate note, the Kelly's Kids clothes arrived yesterday in the midst of the madness. I've only looked at a few items, but they are so adorable. I also found a link to the virtual catalog if anyone wants to check it out: www.kellyskids.com/virtualcatalog

And on that note, I hope your week is going better than mine.

Valentine's and a baby shower

For the first Valentine's day when Jordan was old enough to give Valentine's to her daycare friends, we fixed up little buckets of treats, bubbles and Valentines colored by Jordan. Of course, coloring Crayola valentine's wasn't enough, so Jordan covered the backs of the cards with stickers. At least she had a good time making her valentines.

She also liked the toys and clothes Nana and Bo bo brought her for Valentine's day. Instead of the talking toy I had when I was little that involved pulling the string and hearing the appropriate animal noise, Jordan got the princess version that involves a throne, magic wand, mirror and other princess related items.

Last month I attended a baby shower for girls I grew up with. They are twins who are both pregnant right now. Each is having a boy, so there was a ton of blue at the shower. It was held in my old high school cafeteria where I haven't stepped foot in about 10 years. Jordan joined me toward the end and was pretty good until it was time to leave. Since she wanted to run down the long hallway, she threw herself in the floor pitching a fit as I was dragging her to the car. She looked so cute in the overalls and shirt Nana got for her that I had to take her picture. Of course as soon as I got the camera out, her face turned red and she started straining. She definitely has my timing.

At least I got 1 good smiling picture of her.

Think she was tired of the picture taking?

See you later...

18 months- random picture day

For some reason 18 months seems like a huge milestone. Jordan suddenly looks so grown up. She is saying more every day, even if we don't understand all of it. She is tall enough to reach some things on the bathroom counter top and will soon be big enough to reach the stove- not looking forward to that. She can also reach the water and ice dispenser on the freezer door which is not child proof. When I asked the guy at Lowe's about child proofing it, he looked at me like I had 3 heads. Any suggestions for that problem?

I dread the day when Jordan no longer claps for my terrible singing like she does now and instead screams because I'm embarrassing her. I love that she is amused by both of us patting our legs at the same time and that the surprised face back and forth is hilarious. I'm sure she won't keep running stuff to the trash for us, which is a great way to distract her when necessary. Have I mentioned how cute it is when she screams "Bubbles!" as soon as she gets in the bath tub? She still giggles and gets very excited when she spots Maddie for the first time each evening. She has some killer dance moves right now, as well.

Since I've been a bad blogger lately, probably because we haven't had much going on, I thought I'd put up a few random pictures. I really need to load more onto the computer- I swear I take pictures!

Jordan still loves her bananas and is now proud of being able to hold it herself. As evidenced by the panda in the background, we are still doing breathing treatments.

Look ma! I managed to fit your size 8 boots on Daddy's size 13 feet!

Trying sledding for the first time when it was almost 60 degrees. There was just enough snow left in Robert's front yard for sledding. After the sled tipped over and Jordan fell out, she wasn't so into it. Maybe next year...

This shirt speaks for itself. Of course, I got the "Here Comes Trouble" shirt for my own amusement, but Jordan was in a good mood the morning she wore it, so I had to take pictures. Here she actually smile on cue, which amazed me. She still only has front teeth and molars on the bottom but has a mess of teeth on the top now. Poor thing cries brushing her teeth now because she is probably in pain, though part of it is a control issue because we insist on brushing before we let her loose with the toothbrush. I have no clue where she would get any control issues from ;)

I think my dad is going to come up for a quick visit this weekend. Since Jordan hasn't seen him in 6 months, I'm curious to see how she does with him. She has the stranger danger thing going on right now, which is good in most situations but a bit awkward with neighbors and family she rarely sees. We are also going to check out Pump Up the Fun which is a place filled with blow up slides and the like. Jordan loved playing in Zach's blow up jump thing this weekend, so I'm hoping she'll get on some of the stuff, even if it means Dave and I going down with her.

On a side note, I am officially signed up to sell Kelly's Kids clothes now. I think Kim and/or Jenny are going to host a party or 2 and my mom is going to host one, as well. If you would like to host a catalog party or a real party (and are in my area- sorry Carrie and Elizabeth), let me know. You can also just order stuff online using my Rep # 113531.

100 posts- first time playing in the snow

So, according to blogger, this is my 100th post. That seems like a lot when you stop to think about it. I hate to disappoint you, but unlike shows that have a big party and cake to celebrate the 100th episode, I just have some cute pictures of Jordan checking out real snow for the first time.

As most of you reading this know, in late January we had a couple of decent snowfalls resulting in enough snow to actually play in. Unfortunately, we didn't get Jordan's sled blown up. She did, however, get to check out real snow for the first time. We let her play outside for a little bit after we got home from work/daycare, so she didn't get into her snowsuit or gloves.


Snow is much more fun with a friend. Maddie was happy to help.


And when Jordan fell on her butt...

...Daddy was there to pick her up and warm her cold hands.

Of course, then he followed up by hitting her with a snowball! She thought it was funny, so it was all good.

We hope all is well with everyone and wish each of you a Happy Valentine's Day. On that note, a quick story about the flowers Dave sent me at work yesterday. He ordered a vase of lilies to be delivered yesterday, and they arrived looking beautiful. When I opened the card, I found a heartfelt greeting about eternal love and how much ALEX appreciated me standing by him. I cracked up since I don't know any Alex and the message was not at all anything Dave would write. I called the company so they could try to get a new card to the Lindsey who was supposed to get the card I got, and they read Dave's card to me. I'm telling you, these things only happen to us (and apparently Alex and Lindsey). At least it gave several of us a laugh.

Very belated Christmas eve pictures

I finally got the Christmas eve pictures from Robert's camera about 2 weeks ago but then forgot to post them. For past few years, we've spent Christmas eve at Robert's house. Dave and I both had to work until noon on Christmas eve, so Jordan went to daycare and then we ended up rushing around to get ready for dinner, which is why we forgot either of our cameras.

Here Jordan is hanging out in the kitchen before dinner in one of her Christmas dresses.


And enjoying her ride on bouncy toy from Nana and Bo bo.


Yeah, this look seems completely rotten and self-explanatory.

And when Jordan was done for the evening, she started whining for her Be Be, laid down in the floor with the presents and played with her shoes.

We don't have too much excitement around here these days. We are still working on the basement. I have gotten in 3 of the 4 adorable pictures I want to frame and hang in the playroom portion of the basement, though I still need to find reasonably priced frames for them. I think we're going to go check out Kim's new house soon, which I'm dying to do. Other than that, we are just doing our day to day stuff.

1 thing I want opinions on is that I'm seriously thinking of becoming a sales rep for Kelly's Kids. I got the stuff in the mail today and am probably going to sign up. It seems to be the kids clothing version of tupperware that you host parties, get a commission, etc. Some of the clothes are adorable though. If you get a chance, check out the stuff at www.kellyskids.com and tell me what you think. Am I crazy? (Wow- that is a loaded question)

New favorite accessory

Jordan used to love picking up my purse (and most bags), putting them on her arm and waving "bye, bye". While she still does this on occasion, she has a new favorite accessory- my scarves. I promise neither of us ever put one on her. She just started picking them up and putting them on. Some are so long she trips over them, but it only slows her down temporarily.

This picture cracks me up because it looks like she a homeless baby model.

Now she just looks homeless.

It's a good thing this homeless baby still has toys.

Jordan claimed ownership of the plastic Halloween candy bowl/bucket a long time ago, so it stays with her toys. It also works like a purse.

Yesterday I ran errands while Dave and Jordan had some quality time together at the house, Circuit City and Dick's. Jordan acted like she may take a nap, and then that glimmer of hope faded. At 2pm we went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time- sans nap. Jordan was terrified of every ride and wouldn't even get on the slide, but she loved the singing mouse. She and her friends Jacob and Cameron got a sketch done by one of the machines, and she liked it so much that she screamed bloody murder as I pulled her away from the machine when our turn was over. She continued screaming, arching her back and smacking me until we got outside where she went home with MaMaw. Of course, once she was in the car with MaMaw, she went almost straight to sleep. My view on Chuck E Cheese- not again for quite a while! It really wasn't that bad except for the fact the place was completely and totally packed and hotter than the depths of hell made worse by the fact I had to carry Jordan around most of the time. When we pulled up, there was a line out the door of more than 10 people. When we were leaving, I think there were more like 20 people waiting outside in the 30 degree weather waiting to get in. A friend at the party told me that he and his family go there about every 3 weeks and that there are usually about 20% of the people there as what we experienced yesterday. I'm not sure I'm buying it!